Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Santa Barbara / El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara
El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California, United States · Belmond · Grand Luxury
Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Hedy Lamarr slipped away to El Encanto's hillside cottages in the 1930s and 40s, and Franklin Roosevelt stayed in Cottage 320, which guests can still book. The seven acres began as faculty housing for a normal school in 1912, became a hotel on New Year's Eve 1917, and were restored by Belmond in 2013 above Santa Barbara's Riviera.
- 92 rooms
- Opened 1918
- Neighborhood: Alvarado Place
- Rooms from 310 sq ft (29 m²)
- Architect: E. Russell Ray and Winsor Soule
About El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara
- El Encanto opened as a cottage hotel on New Year's Eve 1917 and has occupied the Santa Barbara Riviera hillside continuously since 1918.
- Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and Hedy Lamarr all used the property as a Hollywood hideaway during the 1930s and 1940s.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed in Cottage 320, which guests can still book today.
- The seven-acre estate began as faculty cottages for a normal school in 1912 before pivoting to hospitality five years later.
- Belmond reopened the property in 2013 after a comprehensive restoration of both Craftsman-era cottages and 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows, many now city-designated landmarks.
History
The property began in 1912 when James Warren built dormitories and cottages for faculty at the nearby State Normal School (now UCSB). In 1917 plans shifted to a cottage hotel, and El Encanto Hotel and Garden Villas hosted its first dinner on New Year's Eve 1917, officially opening February 2, 1918. During the 1930s–1950s it became a celebrated Hollywood hideaway for Clark Gable, Hedy Lamarr, Carole Lombard, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who stayed in Cottage 320). Orient-Express Hotels acquired the property and undertook a comprehensive restoration, reopening it in March 2013 as a Forbes Five-Star resort. Belmond rebranded it in 2014.
El Encanto opened as a cottage hotel on New Year's Eve 1917 and has occupied the Santa Barbara Riviera hillside continuously since 1918.
The setting
El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara, rises from the Riviera hillside at 800 Alvarado Place, a district named the American Riviera in 1913 for its resemblance to the French Mediterranean coast. The seven-acre estate began as Craftsman-style faculty cottages before opening as a cottage hotel in 1918, later gaining Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows — both architectural eras now city-designated landmarks. A sixteen-minute walk leads to the storied Old Mission Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, while sweeping views stretch across red-tile rooftops to the Pacific and Channel Islands, placing the property in the secluded upper reaches of a city celebrated for its cohesive Spanish Colonial streetscapes.
Restaurants and bars
- The Dining Room — Restaurant · Californian
- The Lounge and Terrace Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Equine Experiences — Equine experiences offered by the hotel, listed with a Learn More link.
- Set Sail with El Encanto — Sailing-related experience presented under the title 'Set Sail with El Encanto'.
- El Encanto × Santa Barbara Tennis Club — Tennis collaboration with the Santa Barbara Tennis Club.
Amenities
- Pool with panoramic ocean views
- Spa
- Fitness center
- Seven acres of secluded gardens
- Chef's garden
- Wishing Well and historic Lily Pond
- Fire pits and private patios
- Infinity pool
- Sauna
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- AAA Four Diamond (2025)
- Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards (2025)
- AAA Five Diamond
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star
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